he was mayor of indianapolis by 35, and a u.s. senator at 44. in fact, in the election when he first went to the senate he won by 19 points and never looked back, in 1982, won re-election by 8 points, in '88, by 36 points, in 1994, lucky number 36 points, a huge landslide victory. and then in 1996 he decided to run for president, but didn't win that race, perhaps because of ads he put out like this one. >> i believe in the second amendment and our right as americans to own a gun, for self-protection, to hunt and to collect. but there is no right to sweep a plowi playground with an assault weapon. i parted company with senators graham and dole, i did what i felt was right. >> dick luger. >> you know, being a conservative doesn't mean you have to lose your common sense. >> not such a hot strategy in the republican primary. he was regarded as a worthy exercise like bruce babbits that may have prevailed in a more sober era, but not in ours. he went back to his state, won re-election by 35%. in 2006, the year of the big democracy takeover in both hou